For help understanding the foreign policy headlines of the past few days, let's return, briefly, to the spring of 1983, when Barack Obama was a student at Columbia University. What were the burning international issues of that time?

Well, first was the "nuclear freeze" movement, which was prompting mass demonstrations around the world by people worried about the standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States. Obama published an article about it in a campus magazine in which he invoked the vision of "a nuclear free world."

The Middle East, meanwhile, was still reeling from the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon -- which was the apotheosis of the Zionist right's dream of creating a "greater Israel" including all of the Palestinian West Bank.

Back to November 2010. The Obama administration is devoting a big share of its diplomatic time and capital to curbing Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank -- most recently, offering Israel's right-wing government $3 billion in warplanes in exchange for a 90-day moratorium. Meanwhile, it has committed much of its dwindling domestic political capital to pushing a new nuclear arms control treaty with Russia through a reluctant Senate.

So has nothing changed in the past quarter-century? In fact, almost everything --- especially when it comes to nuclear arms control and Israel's national objectives. What hasn't changed, it seems, is Barack Obama -- who has led his administration into a foreign policy time warp that is sapping its strength abroad and at home.

Start with the New START treaty that Obama has made a priority for the lame-duck Senate, at a time when Americans don't yet know what income tax rate they will pay on Jan. 1.....

Obama published an article about it in a [Columbia] campus magazine in which he invoked the vision of "a nuclear free world."

That's something only a naive jr. high schooler would believe possible. I'd bet hard cash he also believed communism wasn't working in Russia "the way it should" because "it wasn't being implemented properly."

I'd bet hard cash he also believed communism wasn't working in Russia "the way it should" because "it wasn't being implemented properly."

It was the EEEVil American Military Industrial Complex fault that the Soviets had to spend so much of their money on their Military to protect themselves instead of spreading that wealth amongst their loyal subjects.

You bring up a serious matter to consider. When we elect somebody, we’re also electing the spouse. And who knows how much a spouse can affect a person we elect? So we also need to vet the spouse and be certain Mrs. congressman isn’t a flame-snorting Stalinist. We’re not cozy to whatever pillow talk goes on and the affect that has on our elected officials.

...when Barack Obama was a student at Columbia University. What were the burning international issues of that time? Well, first was the "nuclear freeze" movement, which was prompting mass demonstrations around the world by people worried about the standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States. Obama published an article about it in a campus magazine in which he invoked the vision of "a nuclear free world." The Middle East, meanwhile, was still reeling from the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon -- which was the apotheosis of the Zionist right's dream of creating a "greater Israel" including all of the Palestinian West Bank.

Thanks 2ndDivisionVet. It must be that "the 1980s" must be another term for "up his ass".

22
posted on 11/27/2010 6:26:51 PM PST
by SunkenCiv
(The 2nd Amendment follows right behind the 1st because some people are hard of hearing.)

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